Players of stringed instruments such as violins, violas and the like use rosin on the bows of their instruments to cause greater contact with the strings and also to improve the quality of the resulting sound. Since a high quality rosin is relatively expensive, it is imperative that it be utilized to its maximum and this is done by stroking the bow over the rosin at different angles to wear the rosin evenly.
New rosin cakes have a slippery or frictionless surface that wears away only with use. "Starting" a rosin can prove exasperating even for professional players. For the student or amateur, the frustration of "wearing in" rosin often leads to insufficient application. This in turn, creates poor sound, poor results and slippage which inhibits the technical mastery of the bow, and can dampen concentration and enthusiasm.
Devices known to the present inventor for containing a rosin cake include U.S. Pat. No. 243,763, granted on July 5, 1881, which discloses a rosin holder attached to the clip which is in turn attached to the violin.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,098,277, granted May 26, 1914, discloses a rosin cake in a box and includes alternating sections of hard and soft rosin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,272, granted to Newhouse on May 7, 1985 discloses a rectangular shock absorbing holder for a rectangular bar of rosin.
Swiss Pat. 108951, granted in 1925, discloses a container to capture the dust from the use of rosin.